The hearse carrying the urn of the late former Manila mayor Alfredo "Fred" Lim drove to offices where he served in various capacities before he was brought to his final resting place Saturday morning.
A long line of motorcycles and vehicles adorned with white balloons formed Lim's funeral procession, which started at around 7 a.m.
From Arlington Memorial Chapel in Quezon City, Lim’s convoy went to the headquarters of the Manila Police District, National Bureau of Investigation and Manila City Hall, where he served as a district director, director and mayor, respectively.
Lim, a former senator, was also brought to the Senate foyer, where Senate President Vicente Sotto III paid his last respects.
A mass was then held for Lim at the Sto. Niño Church in Tondo before his inurnment at the Manila North Cemetery.
Lim succumbed to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last August 8. He was 90.
The local government of Manila mourned Lim’s passing by shutting the lights off the iconic Manila clock tower. Lim's urn was also brought to Manila City Hall where his supporters paid their respects.
Lim served as Manila mayor from 1992 to 1998 and in 2007 to 2013. He served as senator from 2004 to 2007.
Lim also served as district director of the Western Police District (now Manila Police District), became district director of the Northern Police District, and a superintendent of the Philippine National Police Academy.
In 1989, he was appointed director of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Lim built hospitals in each of Manila's six districts — the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center in Tondo, Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital in Binondo, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center in Malate, and Sta. Ana Hospital.
He established the Universidad de Manila that provides free tertiary education to the city’s poor students.
Lim launched crackdowns on crime and corruption in the country’s capital. He declared night clubs, massage parlors, and motels— suspected to be the venues of illegal activities—as illegal and ordered the owners of the said establishments to leave the city.
He also implemented programs to improve the city’s waste disposal, flood control, and traffic by banning provincial buses.
His request that every homemaker and storekeeper plant a tree became one of his endearing qualities that showed his concern for the environment amid Manila’s dense population of people and structures. (with a report from Minka Klaudia S. Tiangco)